


Pray for a Wicked Christmas

by trickyNeko



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Christmas Special, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Humor, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pray For The Wicked (Album), Songfic, Stupidity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-06 08:04:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17935961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trickyNeko/pseuds/trickyNeko
Summary: It's a week until Christmas, and the Avengers are scrambling to get everything done before the date hits - but with the blizzard going on outside, that proves to be more of a task than they had first suspected. Especially with the added task of having to care for a renegade trickster god who doesn't understand the first thing about 'Midgardian Winter's Eve', and a hedonistic lunatic who just so happened to drive his car into a snowbank a block away from the team's hideout.





	1. Wrapping Paper in Winter

**Author's Note:**

> This story may contain unintentional spoilers for a project I am currently working on. If you wish to read that unspoiled, do not read this. If you don't care, read on. If you don't know why you've even read this far because your finger just happened to slip and click on this book, well...  
> I dunno what to say.  
> Read on, I guess?  
> It's up to you, my dude.  
> ...  
> Ahem! So. I wrote this around Christmas. As you can see by the oh so obvious holiday themes. Which also means it's kinda old. So read ahead at your own risk. It's just a sweet kinda love story with Christmas-y untertones, a sex scene somewhere near the end, and just a crap tone of fluff and some post-death angst. The usual stuff you'd get from a Frostmaster fanfiction. Right?

**_(Pray for the Wicked - Dec 2nd to 3rd - 2018)_ **

The snow had begun to fall heavily outside, the window covered in a light frost. The fireplace had gone down to a few smoldering embers, the only noise in the otherwise silent house that of tearing paper. Loki worked away, barely aware of the absence of people around him, only focused on the task at hand. Wrapping gifts for Winter's Eve, or as the Midgardians called it, Christmas. While Loki didn't quite grasp why the paper itself was so eye-bleedingly vibrant, he was determined to make his gifts the damn best looking ones under the tree. Taking another strip of tape from the roll, Loki smoothed the red and green striped paper down against the surface of the box before securing it in place, placing a bow on top to hide the unseamly work where the folds met. With a satisfied smirk, he placed the gift to the side. That made two finished. He knew he probably should have gotten a few more, for the rest of the team, but quality over quantity - and his sheer disdain for the other avengers - had made Loki settle on simply three gifts. One for his brother, a miniature replica of Mjolnir in homage of the late hammer; one for the spider boy, a set of potions Loki had brewed himself for situations Parker could possibly get himself into while hero-ing; and one for his significant other. Loki smiled as he picked up the final gift, looking it over to make sure it was still in peak condition, like it had been when he purchased it. A single vial of shimmery, aqua blue nail polish. Slipping it back into the box it had come in, Loki began looking through the wide variety of papers Parker had supplied him with for gift wrapping, before he had left with Stark to do their own Christmas shopping. None of them were appealing in the slightest, but the god of mischief had made due this far. He had known the gifts he had wrapped before were going to be less than perfect, solely based on the fact that most of the papers were atrocious to even glance at, but for this gift. This gift, Loki wouldn't accept anything other than perfection. This NEEDED to be just right, or Loki would never forgive himself. It was their first Christmas together; he needed to make it memorable. And with such a small gift, the wrapping held even more importance. Loki grunted, rummaging through the paper rolls before finally giving up. He didn't blame Parker, of course, he was just a child. Of course he didn't understand the importance of the wrapping paper, but that didn't really help the god of mischief now. Loki looked to the window, the falling snow immediately smothering any ideas of going out to buy a roll of wrapping paper that actually suited the gift. He sighed, slumping down against the couch. Parker and the rest were still out, hopefully in the safety of the mall, but the storm probably wouldn't clear up for a while. Meaning, it would probably be a while before Loki could go out and get anything at least mildly palatable.

“Oh Blue~” Loki looked up at the familiar voice, the front door closing as the snow covered figure stepped inside. “Sorry to, uh, intrude- but my car decided to get stuck in a snowbank.”

Loki quickly slid the vial of polish into his pocket, getting to his feet as the figure brushed the snow from his shoulders, his grey hair covered in melting flakes. He bore his usual dull smile, but at the sight of Loki, his golden eyes seemed to light up. A light that always made the corners of Loki's mouth tint upwards. But today, that was more of a nervous smile than anything.

“En Dwi!” Loki walked up to the ancient being, his hands folded behind his back. “It's honestly a pleasure to see you. Even if it is a tad… Unexpected.”

“Like I, I said. Snowbank plus car equals getting stuck and almost causing a pileup. Do you mind if I, uh, stay here for a bit? Just until, you know, the snow clears up?”

“That might be a while.” Loki shuffled his foot against the ground as the Grandmaster slipped his shoes off, adjusting his robe as he stepped closer to the god.

“Is something the, uh, the matter, my dear?”

“Of course not!” Loki spoke quickly, looking up at the Grandmaster with a look of feigned innocence. “I was just in the middle of wrapping presents. Perhaps you'd like to join me?”

“It would be my honor.” The Grandmaster bowed, then perked up. “Come to mention it, I, uh did have a few packages in my car in need of wrapping…”

Loki sighed, chuckling as he rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. Let me guess, you want me to help you carry them in?”

“Yes please! There just a block away.” Loki yelped as the Grandmaster grabbed ahold of his arm, slipping his shoes back on before pulling the god out into the blizzard.

 

Loki dropped the last of the packages onto the, now snow caked, floor as the Grandmaster closed the door behind them with a laugh. Thirty minutes of going back and forth, up and down the block carrying arm fulls of boxes every shape and size, the Grandmaster having to stop every so often to apologize for accidentally causing a roadblock; but oddly enough to Loki it had felt like no time had passed at all. The cold hadn't bothered him, and while his arms were now aching, he had been happy to help the Grandmaster. Even if he had assumed there'd only be one or two packages to carry in - not twenty.

“Th- Thank you, once again, for the help Blue~” The Grandmaster smiled over at the trickster god, Loki unable to help himself from smiling back.

“It's the least I can do, En Dwi.” He brushed the snow from his hair, heading over to sit beside the Grandmaster, who had plopped himself down on the couch. “I'm just glad you had your own paper to wrap these with, because Hel knows the mediocre stash I have wouldn't last.”

The Grandmaster laughed at that. “If I may add, not to offend of course, but my choice in wrapping paper is, ah, a lot more… how do I put this, palatable?”

“Parker was the one that gave me the paper! Blame his tastes, not mine!”

“Hey, hey. Like I said, no- no offense!” The Grandmaster chuckled, immediately picking up on Loki's defensive tone, putting his hands up in surrender.

“And I agree that the papers Parker supplied me with are atrocious, but it's all he had. So I appreciate him attempting to help me.” Loki crossed his arms, looking to the side.

The Grandmaster got to his feet, walking over to where Loki had stacked the rolls of paper beside the couch, looking through them. “Well, some of these aren't THAT bad…”

“They're all bad.” Loki grumbled, sinking lower into the couch cushions. “The colors are clashing, the prints have no purpose, and they're just overall hideous. I've been making due, but I just can't bare to look at them any longer.”

The Grandmaster rolled his eyes. “You're such a- such a drama queen.” He teased, then got to his feet again, starting to bring together all of the rolls of wrapping paper he had brought. They were all shimmery, golds and silvers and blues, some striped and some dotted; but all seeming to fit with the Grandmaster ‘aesthetic’, as he put it. Thinking over it, Loki began to realize that the Grandmaster seemed much too prepared for all of this, as if having planned to drive his car into a snowbank just to get Loki to help him wrap the gifts. It was overkill, but the trickster god wouldn't put him past him. They were both over the top drama queens, after all, and it was sort of a game of theirs to see who could one up the other in the drama department.

“So, are you going to help me, or not?” The Grandmaster asked, pulling Loki from his thoughts, leaning down in front of the god of mischief with a kind smile on his features.

Loki sighed, then got to his feet, the Grandmaster stepping back. “Fine, En Dwi. But I'm using the paper you brought.”

“Of course. Of course dear! I wouldn't have it any other way.”

 

Loki placed the last of the presents he had wrapped to the side, bringing his total to about ten shimmering boxes. His hands were covered in glitter, and the single tape roll he had was almost out, but Loki was satisfied with his work. The Grandmaster, on the other hand, not so much. Loki looked over to see the ancient being still on his fourth package, the other three he had wrapped looking less than ideal. He couldn't help but smile.

“Need a hand there, En Dwi?” He asked, moving over to sit beside the Grandmaster, who was in the middle of trying to unstick a piece of paper from his hand.

“No no, I'm doing just fine Blue.” The Grandmaster spoke, grinning awkwardly. Loki simply reached over, removing the paper from his significant other's hand, then starting to unwrap the present he had been working on.

“I swear, I can do better than this. My, my fingers are just cold.” The Grandmaster sat back, watching Loki work as he began to rewrap the present. Working slow and methodically as he smoothed the shimmery paper down along the surface of the box before securing it in place.

“Sure you can.” Loki chuckled, looking back over his shoulder. “I've seen your work. But sadly, you can't wrap presents with a sewing machine.”

It took a while, but Loki soon had finished wrapping all of the packages through idle chatter and the flames of the fireplace that the Grandmaster had relit. Once he had finished, though, Loki’s hand went to his pocket. One last present. And as luck would have it, the Grandmaster had brought the perfect paper. A glittery sheet of silver and blue striped paper, a scrap just big enough left over to cover the small box. As he reached over to grab it, Loki felt long arms wrap around his midsection, a light kiss placed on the side of his neck.

“Thank you for the help, Blue~” The Grandmaster sighed. “I couldn't have, ah, wrapped them better myself.”

“I know you couldn't.” Loki chuckled, the piece of paper just out of his reach. “Which is why I did it instead.”

The Grandmaster rolled his eyes, then kissed Loki one last time before getting to his feet. “I'll be right back. Would you mind stacking up the, uh, the presents? So they're out of the way?”

“Of course.” Loki bowed his head. This was too perfect. He'd have time to wrap the Grandmaster's gift, then move the rest of the presents to the side and out of the way.

Once the Grandmaster had made his way up the stairs, Loki went quick to work, picking up the paper and fishing out the small present from his pocket. He smoothed the paper down, picking up the tape roll as he placed the package in the center, folding the corners up and securing them in place. He worked quicker than usual, not wanting the Grandmaster to see what he was doing, but just as he was about to finish-

“What are you doing, Blue~?”

Loki froze. He hadn't heard the Grandmaster come back downstairs, but yet there he was, kneeling behind the trickster god, arms wrapped around his neck, his touch light around the bruising that stained Loki’s skin.

“Nothing, nothing.” Loki shoved the half wrapped box back into his pocket, wincing at the sound of the paper crumpling. Clearly, though, this answer hadn't satisfied the ancient being.

“That didn't seem like, uh, nothing there~” He persisted.

“I assure you, En Dwi. It was nothing.” Loki stood his ground, looking off to the side. “I was just cleaning up loose scraps.”

“Alright.” Loki felt the Grandmaster back up, a shocked look spreading across his features. It wasn't like the Grandmaster to give up so easily like that. While it definitely was out of character, Loki couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. He wasn't complaining.

“So. What were you doing up there?” Loki asked, gesturing towards the stairs as he began rounding up the presents, the Grandmaster doing the same.

“Just getting a few things I- I left in your room last time I stayed over.” He explained, picking up one of the boxes. “How about we put them under the tree?”

“Sounds good.” Loki picked up one of the other, albeit smaller, boxes, carrying it over to the tree that had been set up in the corner of the living room, already decked out in lights and ornaments. He paused. “What exactly were you getting…?”

“Nothing~” The Grandmaster teased.

Loki rolled his eyes. If this was how the game was going to be played, it was going to be a LONG night.

 

“That's the last of them, I, I think.” The Grandmaster stood proudly beside the tree, his golden robe glittering almost as brightly as the Christmas lights themselves.

Loki sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Working in the cold was one thing, but in the heat, he just seemed to get drained even quicker than usual. He had set the two presents he wrapped with the paper Parker had given him in front, just to show he had used it, so as not to hurt the spiderling's feeling. Loki had no clue who all of the Grandmaster's presents we're for, although he had a sneaking suspicion the ancient being had simply gotten them all for himself. Slipping his hand inside his pocket, Loki checked to make sure the little box was still safely tucked away. It was, but the paper was beyond use now, and cutting a new square would be even more suspicious on his part. Although all discretion had been tossed out the window the moment the Grandmaster had stepped through that door.

“Oh, wait! I forgot one!” The Grandmaster piped up after taking one last peruse around the tree. Loki gave him a confused look.

“You did?” He glanced around the room. “I don't see any other packages, En Dwi. And I'm sure we got all of them out of the car-”

Loki flinched as he felt the Grandmaster grab ahold of his hands, beginning to wrap a golden ribbon around them, a flirtatious glint to his gaze.

“What the Hel are you doing, En Dwi.” Loki deadpanned, only receiving a laugh in response.

“Wrapping up my, ah, my last present, of course~” He grinned, lifting Loki’s arms up and starting to twirl the ribbon down them, holding them in place. Loki blinked, processing the Grandmaster's words before his eyes went wide.

“No no no no-”

“Yes~” The Grandmaster chuckled, tying the ribbon up in a bow to finish it off before moving closer to Loki, causing the trickster god to step back, only to get pushed down against the couch.

“En Dwi you bastard-”

“I, uh, love you too, Blue~”

 

“Brother, were home!” Thor threw the door open, the blizzard roaring outside, the evening sky now dark with blackened clouds. “The mall was packed! You would have loved it, brother, it was total anarchy-”

The god of thunder froze, letting the cold seep in through the open door as he stared at the scene unfolding in the living room. Loki was kneeling on the floor, bound up in ribbons and lace of golds and greens, his face a bright red as the Grandmaster secured a little bow in the trickster god's hair, as if to bring the 'piece’ all together.

“Ah, sparkles! You're home!” The Grandmaster beamed. “Blue and I were just, uh, talking about how long it would take you to get back.”

“Thor, you're letting in the cold-” Tony pushed past the thunder god, who was still frozen in shock. The tech wiz's arms full were of bags; which he promptly dropped when his eyes fell upon the scene.

“Dear god.”

“Gods.” Loki corrected. A deadpan expression on his face, as if he was just barely tolerating what his boyfriend was doing to him. “There's more than one.”

“Mr. Stark? Uncle Thor? Is everything okay?” Peter poked his head out from behind Thor, then stifled a laugh, covering his mouth with his hands to hide his grin.

“Yeah yeah.” Loki rolled his eyes. “Just come in, before that damned snow you tracked in gets even worse.”

Peter burst into laughter as he ducked under Thor’s arm, who still hadn't moved a muscle, the young boy picking up the bags his 'father’ had dropped. “I see you two had fun while we were out!”

“Parker. Stop validating him.” Loki muttered, which only caused Peter to laugh more. It wasn't a hateful laugh though, more of an encouraging one. Clearly, he found the two’s relationship adorable.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something about going out to go get the rest of the bags before turning and walking back out of the house, pulling his scarf over his mouth. Thor still stood, frozen from shock, in the doorway. Peter pulled him out of the way once he had placed the bags down on the couch, closing the door behind him. The Grandmaster sat down beside Loki, pulling the bound trickster god into his lap with a kind smile, adjusting the final bow that rested on his back before wrapping his long arms around Loki's waist.

“Merry Christmas, Blue~” He said sweetly, kissing Loki on the top of the head.

“We've still got a week, En Dwi.” Loki muttered, blushing furiously, although he tried to ignore it to the best of his ability. “Save it until then.”


	2. Mistletoe and Melancholy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story may contain unintentional spoilers for a project I am currently working on. If you wish to read that unspoiled, do not read this. If you don't care, read on. If you don't know why you've even read this far because your finger just happened to slip and click on this book, well...  
> I dunno what to say.  
> Read on, I guess?  
> It's up to you, my dude.  
> ...  
> Just your average Christmas party from the point of view of a person who hates parties. Oh, also some nice fluff. Because why not.

_**(Pray for the Wicked - Dec 4th to 12th - 2018)** _

Loki had never been one for parties. He had never been fond of them on Asgard, unlike his brother and the warriors three, and he had tolerated them even less on Sakaar. The only reason he had put up with them was to win the favor of the Grandmaster, which, ended up becoming something more… but Midgardian parties. They were something else entirely. Something even more abhorrent. Loki took a sip from his martini glass, which was filled not with alcohol, but with sparkling fruit juice, because Thor refused to let him drink. Even though alcohol seemed to be the only good thing about this get together. Stark had thrown it together last minute, four days away from the main event of ‘Midgardian winter’s eve’, and yet it seemed almost everyone and the kitchen sink had been able to attend. The drone of people talking was almost numbing to Loki’s ears, all of the words mixing together like someone had shoved all of the conversations into a blender and turned it on high. The trickster god would have taken the blaring music and uncomfortably close quarters of the Grandmaster's old parties, or the sound of Thor smashing glasses against the wall in a drunken stupor as his friends sang stories of old to this idiocy. Loki sat his glass down before straightening his tie, leaning against the edge of the table as he looked down at his feet. He could see the glint of the blinking red light reflecting off his polished shoes, the ankle bracelet digging into his skin, as per usual. In his own ‘home’ he wasn't able to take the inane, court mandated, tracker off. Even if it clashed horribly with his outfit. _CRASH!_ Loki flinched, then sighed. At least there was something familiar. He looked over to see Thor, already stumbling around in a drunken stupor, Stark attempting to get him to clean up the mess he had made, or at least sit down to avoid breaking any other glasses. Loki chuckled, picking his glass up again and swirling the contents around inside before taking a sip. He had counted seventeen drinks, seventeen drinks and a little slip of a potion he brewed to get his brother nearly toppling over drunk. It was a good sight, a familiar sight in these unfamiliar surroundings. And even though it was at the expense of his brother, it made Loki feel a tad more comfortable.

“Brothah!” Thor stumbled forward, a dopey grin on his unshaven face, his remaining eye unfocused. “Are you enjoying the party?”

Loki opened his mouth to respond, and probably comment on how Thor needed a breath mint, but the god of thunder cut him off.

“I for one am quite enjoying this Midgardian custom. It reminds me of home!” Thor slurred his words, placing his arm around Loki's shoulders forcefully, nearly knocking the glass from the trickster god's grasp. “Oh how I miss home… Perhaps we could invite Heimdall over! I'm sure Stark wouldn't mind one more party guest!”

“Perhaps.” Loki forced a smile, not wanting to bring up the fact that they weren't sure if Heimdall had survived the war or not. As much as he loved to bug his brother, that was something he couldn't bring himself to do.

Thor gave a hearty laugh, sparks crackling from his fingertips lightly, once again causing Loki to tense up. He could see Banner cleaning up the shards Thor had left on the carpet, although the beer stains weren't coming out as easily. Stark had given up and was now talking to a group of wealthy looking humans, most likely possible business partners, Potts at his side with a happy smile on her face.

“Look at them…” Thor mumbled blissfully. “Look at the team brothah. They're all so happy here…”

“Well, of course.” Loki added. “This is their home. It's where they belong.”

“It's our home too!” Thor squeezed Loki close to his chest, almost dislocating his brother's shoulder. “This is our new Asgard! This is our new home.”

Loki tentatively removed Thor's arm from around him, not wanting to spend the rest of the night in pain from.an injury his brother didn't intend on causing. “Maybe for you.”

Thor didn't hear him, his inebriated vision scanning the room before his expression visibly soured. The god's eyebrows knit together and his nose crinkled, as if he had smelled something foul. “Why is he here.”

Loki followed his brother's gaze, then signed. Of course that was what Thor was getting on about again. At the far end of the room stood the Grandmaster, flirting with a group of arguably attractive men, which Loki assumed were just more of Stark’s business associates.

“You know he had to stay over last night because we couldn't get his car out of the snow.” Loki muttered. “He's been here since yesterday, brother.”

Loki frowned as he watched the Grandmaster kiss the back of the man's hand, although he simply responded with an uncomfortable laugh back. That was how it usually went. The advance, the kind rejection, move on. The only certain thing in the Grandmaster's life seemed to be Loki himself. And, of course, his roommate Darryl. Loki looked back to Thor just in time to see him grab ahold of the mischief god's shoulders, starting to shake him almost violently. This time, Loki really did drop his glass.

“He's no good for you, brothah!” Thor pulled Loki up close, their foreheads nearly touching as his blue eye met Loki's green ones. “You deserve better than that, that miscreant!”

Loki couldn't help but chuckle, although he was visibly frazzled. “Thor, please. If he's a miscreant, I'm scared to hear what you think of me-”

“You are the world brothah.” Thor cut him off, his breath reeking of alcohol, and faintly of blueberry. “You are all I have left. Do not throw your life away for _hiiimm_.”

Looking rolled his eyes, pushing away from his brother, whose grip had loosened. “He's not that bad, brother.” Loki looked to the ground, glass and sticky fruit juice now coating his perfectly polished shoes. “En Dwi is a nice guy, you just need to get to know him. When you’re not inebriated.”

Thor opened his mouth to object, his stubborn as a mule demeanor cutting through his drunken stupor, but before he could speak he pitched forward. Loki yelped, his back hitting the counter's edge roughly as he attempted to catch his brother, trying to stop his unshaven face from making contact with the glass covered ground. Loki moved his arms underneath Thor’s in an attempt to hold him up, but his legs soon buckled under the weight - and using magic was out of the question. Loki fell to the ground, his head colliding with the edge of the counter and Thor toppling down on top of him before the world went black.

 

Loki groaned as he sat up, rubbing the lump that had formed on the back of his head as he winced at his touch. His vision was beginning to clear itself, which was a good sign, but he could still hear the blood rushing in his ears. By the looks of it, either Stark or Banner had moved the two back into the living room, Thor still passed out on the couch beside his brother. Loki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to clear his mind. The trickster god had sworn he had only added a drop of the potion, just enough to make  Thor as drunk as a lightweight after taking their first sip of alcohol - or as drunk as Loki himself got after a few drinks - but apparently he had put in more than he had thought. That, or Thor had managed to drink his weight in beer in the half an hour the party had been going on for. Both were equally acceptable assumptions.

“Oh, oh good! You're awake!” Loki looked over as the Grandmaster knelt down beside him, glass in hand, a concerned look on his face. “What exactly happened over there? One minute you and sparkles were, uh, shouting, and the next…”

“I wouldn't say shouting, per say.” Loki sighed. “We simply had a bit of a disagreement. And then Thor fainted.”

“Ah. A few too many drinks?” The Grandmaster chuckled.

“I would assume so.” Loki couldn't help but smile back. His head still ached and his vision was still slightly cloudy, but he couldn't help but smile when the Grandmaster was around.

“Speaking of drinks…” The Grandmaster held out the glass he was holding. “Care for a sip while sparkles is out cold?”

Loki reached out to take the glass, but hesitated. “You didn't put anything in this other than vodka, right?”

“I was just drinking from it.” The Grandmaster laughed. “Besides. I don't need to drug you, Blue. You know I would never do that, to anyone. I just gotta ask~”

“You can never be too careful.” Loki sighed, then grabbed the glass, downing its contents in less than a few seconds.

The Grandmaster watched in shock and amusement, cocking his head to the side once Loki handed the glass back, wiping his mouth off on his sleeve.

“I said a sip.”

“And I do what I want.”

The two stared at each other for a few moments, eyes locked, before the Grandmaster cracked another smile. “Fine by me. I'll just go pour myself some more. Care to, ah, join me?”

The Grandmaster brushed the back of his hand against Loki's cheek before getting to his feet, helping the god up afterwards. He lead Loki back over to the counter, where  various types of drinks had been laid out across its surface. Most of which, Loki assumed, belonging to Stark. Loki looked back over his shoulder to see Thor finally stirring, sitting up with a groan and holding his head.

“Do you want anything, sweetpea?”

Loki looked back to see the Grandmaster, once again, smiling lovingly over at him. Loki simply shook his head, but smiled back anyway, as if to say _thank you, but no thanks_. The Grandmaster nodded before leaning against the counter, swishing the contents of the drink around. It looked to be a blackthorn, one of the Grandmaster's favorite drinks. He of course had made it a tad differently back on Sakaar, and Loki disliked them either way, but the Grandmaster said they reminded him of home. By this time, the party had calmed down a bit, about half of the attendees having left, leaving only the Avengers and a few of their closest friends. Banner was in the corner working up the courage to talk to Romanoff; Stark was sitting at the table with Potts - probably talking about what to name their unborn child; Barton was sitting on the stairs, probably playing candy crush on his phone and avoiding all contact with other people; and Barns was sitting with Rogers, the two just blocking out the rest of the party.

“Have you, uh, told anyone yet?” Loki flinched as he felt the Grandmaster's hand on his shoulder, granting his attention back.

Loki looked back towards him. “No. Other than my brother, Stark and the spiderling, no one's found out yet. And even then, we didn't really _tell_ them.”

The Grandmaster chuckled, then took another sip of his drink. “Right. Sad they had to interrupt our- our fun yesterday though.”

“Fun?” Loki scoffed, grinning. “That was anything BUT fun.”

“Well, then what do you, ah, consider fun Blue~?” The Grandmaster slid his free arm around Loki's waist, pressing his forehead against the god's.

Loki rolled his eyes, pushing himself away. “A day of stopping petty crimes, sparring with my brother, the usual goings about that I do to keep myself sane in this house arrest situation.”

“That's not what I meant~” The Grandmaster chuckled.

“I know what you meant.” Loki stuck his tongue out. “And you know I'm not comfortable discussing that topic in public, En Dwi.”

“Yeah yeah~” The Grandmaster pull Loki close again, a sultry look to his gaze. Loki placed his hand against his boyfriend's chest, not quite trying to pull away, but not exactly wanting to be that close with other people around. It wasn't that he didn't want to be seen with the Grandmaster, Loki would have been more than pleased to be out and public with his lover, but something held him back. Perhaps it was the Grandmaster's line of work, or the fact that Thor was already disapproving. No one else really knew what the Grandmaster was like, and it wasn't that Loki was embarrassed. It was just… something made him reluctant for them to come public.

“Loki, are you al-alright?” The Grandmaster's gaze had fallen from flirty to concerned. Loki realized he had turned completely still, lost in thought, his expression becoming cold and distant. Like the beginnings of an attack when his mind began to wander, trailing back towards that day. So it made sense for the Grandmaster to begin worrying at Loki’s expense. He had seen too many attacks to simply let something like that slide.

Loki shook his head. “I'm fine. Just… thinking.” Loki muttered, pushing away from the Grandmaster and moving to stand beside him. The trickster god leaned against the counter with a sigh.

The Grandmaster placed his hand on Loki's shoulder. “Do you want me to give you some space?”

“No no. It's fine.” Loki placed his hand on top of the Grandmaster's, mustering up a smile. The Grandmaster smiled back kindly, then gave Loki a light kiss on the forehead.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Loki sighed. “Now finish up your drink and go back to flirting with the guests.”

The Grandmaster laughed, then finished up his drink as per request, tossing the glass to Loki as he began walking back to the party. “As you wish, my dear. You, ah, enjoy yourself too, alright? You deserve to have a break from all this 'thinking’ you've been doing. Just reelaaax Blue~ this is a party; enjoy, uh, enjoy yourself.”

“No promises.” Loki chuckled, waving the Grandmaster off. He simply blew a kiss back, then walked off, laughing all the way.

 

Loki bit down on the end of a pepper slice, the juice almost squirting into his eye. He wiped it off on the back of his hand, then took another bite. It was bitter, but it was one of the last foods left over after the party, and Loki was hungry. He finished up the last of the slice, then reached back down towards the plate. His hand was met by clean porcelain, all of its contents having been eaten already, either by himself or by the partygoers. He sighed. He knew the fridge would only offer up leftovers from the night before, and maybe a loose pudding cup. Nothing fit for a god to eat. Nonetheless, if Romanoff and Barton didn't get back soon with the food from that horrid hamburger joint, the only one that seemed to be open this late, Loki may just have to resort to eating his brother's leftover shawarma. The party had ended a while back. Thor had gone upstairs to nurse his potion-induced hangover, Tony and Pepper had fallen asleep together on the couch, and Bruce was down in the basement for whatever reason - Loki was actually surprised he hadn't gone down there sooner. Bruce wasn't one for crowds, much like him. But even then, it was odd for him to disappear once the crowds themselves had dissipated. Loki shook his head, what Bruce was up to was none of his business, as curious as he may be. What was his business, though, was that the Grandmaster had placed himself beside the Christmas tree and was looking over the presents carefully.

“Looking for something specific?” Loki asked, approaching the ancient being before kneeling down beside him.

The Grandmaster shrugged. “Just looking, I suppose. I could have sworn I, uh, I dropped something over here.”

“Dropped?” Loki cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean-”

Before Loki could finish his thought, the Grandmaster pulled something from the pile of presents - something that definitely hadn't been simply dropped seeing as it was buried down so deep - and grinned from ear to ear.

“Ah! Here it is.” The Grandmaster held out his hand. Resting in his palm was a small, leafy plant. Its pale green leaves and pearl-like berries cast in the festive colors of the Christmas lights. Loki immediately recognized it as mistletoe, although he wasn't quite sure why the Grandmaster would need some, or even why he would have 'dropped’ it in the pile of presents.

“You're familiar with the earth - or, uh, Midgardian - custom of mistletoe, correct?” The Grandmaster asked, moving closer to Loki, placing his hand on the god of mischief's thigh.

“I'm aware it's used for making love potions, that it can cause dizziness, nausea, fatigue and in high doses for the recipient to choke on their own vomit. But I'm not aware of any 'Midgardian customs’, no.” Loki deadpanned, looking down at the Grandmaster's hand before meeting his gaze again.

“Care for me to, ah, demonstrate, my dear?”

The Grandmaster held the mistletoe over Loki's head, moving his other hand up to the small of his back slowly before leaning in. He pressed his lips against Loki's, the warmth running through the trickster god’s body at the Grandmaster's touch. He soon moved away though, still holding the sprig of leaves and berries above Loki’s head. Loki blinked, processing what had just happened, before putting his arms around the Grandmaster's neck and pulling him back into the kiss, his eyes fluttering closed. The two sat like that for a while, illuminated by the lights of the tree, pressed up against each other in blissful silence. The Grandmaster slowly moved his arm down, dropping the mistletoe before running his fingers through Loki's hair, trying to get even closer than before, just trying to bask in the moment. The warmth, the calm, the serenity. It was all just so… wonderful.

“Ahem.”

Loki pushed away from the Grandmaster, leaving him in a bit of a blissful daze, eyes half lidded and a smile spread across his face. Loki looked up to see Stark standing in front of them, arms crossed, tapping his foot on the hardwood.

“I’m sorry Stark, did we wake you?” Loki muttered, getting to his feet as he brushed his suit off. “Not that I care. Now, what do you want.”

“I'd like for you two to not crush the presents, please and thank you. And to perhaps take your public displays of affection somewhere other than the living room.”

“Fine.” Loki scoffed, then dragged the Grandmaster to his feet, heading towards the stairs. “I guess we'll just have to take this time to your bedroom - your bed’s much more comfortable than mine, that's for damn certain.”

Tony froze, his jaw dropping slightly. “You, what? No!”

Loki smirked, looking back to see Stark’s incredulous expression plastered across his features. Even the Grandmaster was taken aback, but clearly wasn't going to complain. He took any chance he could to get in the trickster god's pants, even if it was just to spite one of his teammates.

“Loki, don't you dare!”

“You brought this upon yourself Stark. Now, please inform us when the food gets here. I'm starving.”

And with that, Loki had dragged the Grandmaster upstairs, leaving Tony standing beside the Christmas tree, dumbfounded and enraged.


	3. Christmas Lights in the Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I'll stop giving the warning. You've read this far, you already know the deal.  
> ...  
> Oof. Kinda angsty, kinda fluffy, all around a shorter chapter; but I'm still decently proud of it.

_**(Pray for the Wicked - Dec 14th to 17th - 2018)** _

“It's three days until Christmas and we still haven't put up those damn lights!”

Tony paced the floor, uneased and on edge. The events of the party last night had definitely left him irritable, and the rest of the Avengers had heard the 'lights’ tirade at least three times that morning. Based on the few words that Loki actually listened to from Tony’s rants, he could tell that Thor and Bruce were usually responsible for setting up the outdoor decorations, while the rest of the Avengers set up the indoor ones - but with all that had been going on, plus the fact that Thor was currently passed out upstairs, the lights still hadn't been put up. The snow was falling lightly outside, the sky fairly clear, a nice change compared to the blizzarding weather that had been going on the past few days. A perfect day for putting up the lights, as Tony put it.

“Calm down, Tony.” Bruce finally stepped in, placing his hands on his friend's shoulders, stopping him mid-pacing. “The lights aren't all that important. We can skip them this year if we need to.”

Loki didn't understand why the lights were so important to Stark.  They were just lights. If he wanted them up so bad, why couldn't he just put them up himself? After a while, though, Loki was pulled out of his thoughts as Tony snapped his fingers in front of the trickster god's eyes. Loki blinked.

“What did you want Stark.” Loki muttered.

“Why don't you make yourself useful and go put up those lights.”

“Why don't you shove them up your ass.” Loki crossed his arms, looking to the side.

Tony's expression soured further, if that was even possible. He then stepped back, taking a deep breath before looking to Bruce, silently asking what he should do. Loki knew that Tony was quite... apprehensive around him, for a lack of better words, and part of him was sorry for all of the stress he had caused the  _ Iron Man _ , but now wasn't the time for apologies. Now was the time for Tony to shove off and let Loki get back to napping. Today was a lazy day, a no effort day, a day to simply sit in his boxers and t-shirt and binge stupid Hallmark movies. But clearly, Stark wasn't up for that.

“Out, now.” Tony barked, pointing to the door. “You're under my roof, you do as I say. Now go put those lights up.”

Loki groaned, getting to his feet slowly. Usually, he would have began arguing, or at least pulled a knife to prove the point that he didn't want to, but for some reason Loki decided to simply play along with Tony's request. 

“At least let me get dressed first.”

“Fine.” Tony sighed. “Get dressed. I'll get the lights.”

Loki started up the stairs, then paused, hearing Tony calling after him.

“Loki.”

“Yes, Stark?”

“...Thank you.”

Loki paused, looking back over his shoulder. He locked eyes with Tony, then gave a nod before heading up the rest of the stairs.

 

“Blue~” the Grandmaster knocked on the door to Thor and Loki’s room before slowly pushing it open. “You in here, my darling~?”

The Grandmaster was dressed quite differently from his usual look of golds, blues and reds, now wearing a thick, brown overcoat atop a cream colored turtleneck. He wore the same grey sweatpants and sandals as always though, still one to opt for comfort over style - although often he was able to balance both almost perfectly. Loki looked over, still in the process of straightening his tie before placing a finger to his lips. He then pointed to the still sleeping form of Thor on the floor, wrapped up in blankets. It seemed at some point in the night he had fallen from his bed, and while Loki had tried to move him back up onto the mattress, his brother was much too heavy without the use of Loki’s magics. The Grandmaster gave a look of recognition, then nodded, lowering his voice to a whisper.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go out for, uh, lunch with me. It's a beautiful, beautiful day outside and-”

“I'll have to stop you there, sadly.” Loki signed, a frown on his face. “Tony has instructed me to put up the Christmas lights outside, and I'm assuming that will take me all afternoon.”

The Grandmaster stifled a laugh. “Why in the world would it take you all afternoon to put up lights?”

Loki paused, then signed. “Because I want them to be perfect. And I know that will take me all afternoon. Probably a bit of the evening too.”

The Grandmaster rolled his eyes, chuckling faintly as he placed his hand on Loki’s shoulder. “Is there anything I can, ah, do to help?”

“Carry the ladder.” Loki finally spoke, muttering under his breath as he headed for the door.

The Grandmaster smiled, then followed alongside the god of mischief, placing an arm around his shoulders. It may not have been exactly what the Grandmaster had planned, but any time with Loki was time well spent.

 

“Crap!” Loki continued to cuss under his breath as he tore the lights down for what seemed like the fifteenth time that hour, the ladder wobbling slightly underneath him from the force. The Grandmaster couldn't help but take a step back, almost letting go of the ladder from the sudden outburst his boyfriend gave, Loki's fuse clearly beginning to grow short the longer he spent trying to get the lights ‘just right’, as he put it.

“Darling, maybe we should, uh, should take a break-” The Grandmaster yelped as the wad of tangled lights was thrown in his face, causing him to fall back into the snow, letting go of the ladder in the process. Which, of course, proceeded to pitch to the side, crashing into the bushes besides the front door. Loki skidded face first onto the frost covered stoop, the pavement tearing up the skin on his cheek. Nonetheless, he got to his feet with a grunt, wiping the trickle of blood from the side of his face before trudging back over to where the Grandmaster sat, trying to tear the matted mess of lights from his head. Loki grumbled curses under his breath as he grabbed them from the ancient being, not pausing for a moment as he moved back over to the ladder and begun attempting to free it from the bushes’ twiggy, snow-covered grasp.

“Blue.” The Grandmaster brushed the snow off of his coat as he walked up behind Loki before moving to help him lift the ladder back up. “Are you alright?”

“Just peachy.” Loki’s tone was cold and snappy, like the winter air during a snowstorm.

The two managed to get the ladder back up into its place, the conversation ceasing after Loki's cold regards. As Loki climbed up the ladder, the Grandmaster redirected his gaze. Before, he would have been fine with staring up at Loki's ass, and he knew in good spirits Loki would have been fine with it too. But right now, the Grandmaster wanted to help calm Loki down, not accidentally send him deeper into his spiral of anger. The Grandmaster watched out of the corner of his eye, keeping the ladder steady as Loki tried once again to set the lights up along the roof of the house to his liking. But, once again, he tore them down only a few minutes later, this time simply wading them up with a pained groan before slamming them down on the side of the roof.

“Blue, are you sure you're, uh, okay?”

“I'm fine!” Loki snapped back at his boyfriend.

The Grandmaster paused, then frowned, looking off to the side. Loki felt his breath getting caught in his throat at the sight. He bit his lip, then looked away, trying once again to put the lights back up, his hands shaking ever so slightly, which really wasn't helping. Eventually, he tossed the lights back down into the snow before climbing down the ladder, coming to stand in front of the Grandmaster.

“...sorry.” He mumbled.

“It's fine, Blue. It's fine.” The Grandmaster sighed, then pulled Loki into a hug, leaving the ladder to simply rest against the side of the house. “I get it. This is hard for you.”

“But it shouldn't be.” Loki pressed his head against the Grandmaster's shoulder, taking slow breaths. “This is one of the easiest tasks that I could possibly be doing. Why is this taking so damn long for me.”

“Because you want it to be, ah, perfect. You want to prove you can do it. It's just who you are.” The Grandmaster held Loki close, his unusual warmth calming to the god of mischief.

Loki sighed, but said nothing more. The two simply stood there for a while in each other's embrace, the snow falling around them softly as the clouds began gathering in the previously bright sky.

“How about we go back inside.” The Grandmaster finally spoke. “Sparkles, or my, uh, ex-champion can put the lights up or something-”

“No.” Loki shook his head, pushing the Grandmaster away from him. “En Dwi, I am putting up these lights, even if it takes me all damn day.”

The Grandmaster paused, then chuckled, kissing Loki on the cheek. “Fine. But I'm spending every second out here with you. Making sure you don't fall off the roof again.”

“That's just your excuse to continue staring at my ass.” Loki scoffed, grabbing up the lights once again and starting up the ladder.

The Grandmaster laughed, holding onto the ladder to stop it from shaking or falling as Loki climbed up onto the roof, starting to snake out the string of brightly colored bulbs, pinning it in place along the edge of the roof. He looked down to see the Grandmaster watching him silently, a comforting smile on his face. Loki sighed, then smiled back before returning to his work. He could feel the snow gathering in his hair as it began to fall heavier, the cold growing thicker in the air. He hoped this would be the final attempt at this, but knowing himself, Loki knew that that was… unlikely.

 

The Grandmaster slammed the door closed, a few flakes of snow sneaking in through the cracks, although he and Loki tracked in more snow than a simple few flakes. The Grandmaster stomped his feet on the hardwood floor, snow falling from his sandals and pant legs onto the floorboards. Tony stood up from where he sat on the couch, an exasperated look on his face as he motioned towards the snow the Grandmaster had left on the floor, the ancient being simply waved as he brushed his jacket off with the other hand. Loki rolled his eyes, taking more care to keep the snow he had tracked in on the mat at the front door. He shook the snow from his hair before trying to slick it back again with his hand. He removed his shoes, undid his jacket, then plopped down on the couch with a groan.

“Done.” Loki mumbled, undoing his tie.

“After half a day in the cold and the snow, the great Loki decided to give up on his, uh, his perfection and half-assed putting up the lights just to get inside.” The Grandmaster laughed, sitting down beside where Loki's head rested on the couch cushion.

“I'm not proud, but at least it's done.” Loki closed his eyes, throwing his tie on top of the Grandmaster's head with little to no effort.

Tony was still gawking at the snow the Grandmaster had tracked in, partially believing that he had done it on purpose just to annoy him. He looked back to the Grandmaster, who once again simply waved over at Tony with a kind smile, then turned his attention towards the TV. Tony groaned, then walked over to the basement steps, calling down to Bruce to grab a bucket and a mop. As Stark began cleaning up the fallen snow, the Grandmaster looked over at Loki, running his fingers through the trickster god's hair.

“When are you going to tell him that you busted a few of the lights with all of your raging and that it won't actually, ah, turn on?” The Grandmaster whispered faintly.

“Later.” 

Loki sighed, then moved to rest his head in the Grandmaster's lap, curling into a ball as he stared blankly at the glowing TV screen. The Grandmaster smiled down at him, moving his hand down from Loki's head to his shoulder, rubbing his arm comfortingly, fingers working in slow circular motions across the black fabric. The snow had picked up once again outside, the wind wailing against the side of the house as Tony mopped up the rapidly melting snow that had been tracked inside. Loki rested in his boyfriend’s lap, soon drifting off almost blissfully, the faint sound of the wind and the TV lulling him into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Santa Clause and Short Fuses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one definitely isn't my favorite of the chapters. I don't hate it, but it was definitely a bit of a rush job to begin with. I went back and tried to patch it up, but without scrapping it all and rewriting the entire thing, there wasn't much I could do. Hope you enjoy anyway. X3

**_(Pray for the Wicked - Dec 17th to 21st - 2018)_ **

Loki tapped his foot against the sticky, tiled floor, crossing his arms as he looked around the large, crowded room. The jumble of voices all muddied together, aside from the voice of Peter that piped up every so often to address the kids he and Loki had been put in charge of, from the school Peter attended. The group stood in the middle of a long, winding line that filled up most of the space, people jostling to and fro around them, oftentimes bumping into Loki as they moved around almost anxiously. Most of the people there were families - mothers with their year old children held in their arms, kids whining about the long wait and how their feet hurt, teenagers on their phones just trying to block out the noise - and then there was Peter’s group.  A group of children from Peter's school, most about five or six, that he had been instructed to bring to the mall that day for a Midgardian ‘winter's eve’ tradition. For all of the children to sit on a fat, bearded man's lap and demand presents from him that they most definitely would not get. Peter had convinced Loki to come along for the ride, to try convince his parole officer that Loki was actually trying to do some good - since they didn't really view saving the world with the Avengers as an actual good deed. So public service was the next best bet.

“This is stupid.” Loki grumbled, his voice getting lost in the sea of crying babies, fussing children and despondent teenagers.

“Oh, come on Mr. Loki.” Peter smiled up at the god of mischief, grinning from ear to ear, his freckled face almost radiating with joy. Not for himself, but for the hyper children he was helping. “Doesn't it make you happy, to make these kids’ day?”

Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. “What's the point of this anyway. Why subject yourself to these horrendous conditions just for the chance to sit on an old pervert's lap.”

“Santa Claus is not a pervert, Mr. Loki.” Peter covered his mouth, laughing faintly. “He's a big, jolly elf.”

“I've met elves. Need I remind you, elves  _ killed _ my mother. Elves are not ‘ _ jolly’. _ ” Loki looked off to the side.

Peter paused, his joyous smile falling as he reached out to hold Loki’s hand, rubbing the back of it hand comfortingly. When he was stressed, Peter took to rubbing the back of someone's hand, and had been told doing that to people sometimes helped them too - so whenever Loki was starting to feel bad, Peter would reach over and rub the back of his hand. If he was feeling angry, it would be the number scale, but this wasn't a number scale moment. This was simply a moment for comfort. Loki looked over, then breathed a sigh.

“My apologies.”

Peter smiled. “You don't need to apologize, Mr. Loki. I understand. Your culture is different from our's.”

“I'm trying to learn.” Loki explained. “But a lot of it just seems so far fetched. So… odd. Who in their right mind spreads the false rumor of a fat man clad in red climbing down their chimney to, rather than steal their stuff, just give them more stuff-”

“Shhh.” Peter waved his hands, cutting Loki off close to the end of his sentence, much to his surprise. “It's not a rumor, not to them anyway.”

Peter gestured to the kids around them. “To them, it's all real.”

Loki muttered something under his breath that Peter didn't quite catch, then smiled up at his friend. His look told Loki to try keep the truth on the down low, and Loki reluctantly agreed with a small nod. The masses of children were beginning to get on the trickster god’s nerves, their ecstatic joy almost grating on his ears, and part of him would have liked nothing more to crush that joy out of them. But that was just a thought. And, of course, Loki wouldn't actually act on it. He was used to those thoughts, and while acting on them was more often than not quite fun, in this situation it was probably best to keep it simply a thought. For Peter's sake.

 

The line moved along slowly, but soon enough, Peter's little group managed to get closer and closer to the front. The closer they got, the more details Loki began to make out. The area the line snaked through had been turned into a 'winter wonderland’ of sorts, as Peter explained it. Fake, fluffy snow that looked more like giant cotton puffs covered the tiled floor around a giant gingerbread house with a large chair out in front. Candy canes and cardboard cutouts of the Midgardian equivalent of elves were strewn about the area. It was cheap and haphazardly thrown together, but the kids seemed to only get more excited the closer they got, believing it all to be quite real. Loki, though, was a lot less impressed. Peter ussured the group up as the line moved forward, and Loki finally had a good sight of the person who sat in the fancy chair. A large, rotund man decked out in red from head to toe, a fake beard slapped across his flushed face. Loki immediately drew the conclusion that that… man had to be the famed Chris Cringle, or at least someone posing to be as such for the children that were being herded towards him.

“We're almost there!” Peter spoke to the kids in the group, a big grin on his face, seeming to be almost ecstatic as the children he had been put in charge of. He was a kind boy. Loki couldn't help but smile himself. The kids’ giggling and excited chatter was annoying him more than ever, but seeing Peter happy made him feel at least a little bit less agitated. “Just hold tight. It's just a little longer.”

The children cheered and Loki rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with a quiet sigh. There it was again, their incessant chatter. Two days until Christmas, so many things needing to be done, and Loki was stuck here. With a group of children. Feeding a unbelievable lie that these children blindly followed along with. This week so far had been hectic as all Hel, with snowstorms, parties and the usual goings abouts of the Avengers - and the last thing Loki needed was to deal with a bunch of hyper kids, high on candy canes and yuletide cheer; but nonetheless Loki had agreed to come along with Peter to help him. He couldn't say no to the spiderling. As the wait in the line grew shorter and shorter, so did Loki's fuse, his patience wearing thin with every tug of his jacket or incessant whine the children gave, only seeming to be echoed and amplified by the thousands of other children crammed into the winding line. After what felt like ages, the group finally arrived at the front of the line, and as Peter tried his best to rangle the kids into a neat little order, single file and all, Loki tried his best to calm himself. It was almost over. Soon Stark would be there to pick them up - if the snow outside didn't hinder that - and Loki could go back to binging hallmark movies with his brother, per yet another Midgardian winter's eve custom that they had been taught. He just needed to last. 

It was then, another kid, not even part of the group he and Peter were watching after, ran into Loki's leg. Loki froze as he looked down at the child, whose snot covered face had collided with his pant leg. Wide eyes and round face stared up at the trickster god, yellowing mucus trickling down from their flushed nose - the same substance now splatter across the side of Loki's black dress pants. 

That was it.

 

“Well well well. I would have thought seeing you inside of a cage would be a lot more of a, uh, a pleasant sight. But this is just… sad. What did you do this time Blue, punch an elf in the, the face?”

Loki opened his eyes, the familiar voice reaching his ears from the other side of the cell he had been put in. Loki didn't know how much time had passed since he had snapped on that kid - luckily he hadn't hurt them physically, but he had definitely used a few choice words, enough to get him thrown in the mall jail. Stabbing one of the security guards in the shoulder probably hadn't helped his case either. The trickster god turned onto his side to see the Grandmaster leaning against the bars, Peter standing beside him, an awkward smile on his face. The spiderling had probably called the Grandmaster to come bail him out, after getting the other kids’ parents to come pick them up. He was a good kid. Loki didn't deserve him as a friend.

“Hi Mr. Loki.” Peter waved over at him. “Don't worry, we're in the middle of filling out the paperwork right now. We'll get you out of here soon.”

Loki sighed. “Thank you Parker.”

“Hey, I'm helping too, you know.” The Grandmaster pouted, cocking his head to the side. “Without me, Peter couldn't have ever, ah, convinced them to let you out without that 'parole officer’ of your's.”

Loki glanced down at the tracker around his ankle almost instinctively, then back over to the Grandmaster, a clearly  _ 'done with your shit’ _ expression plastered across his face. The Grandmaster simply laughed, then gestured for Loki to get up and come over. Loki simply rolled over, his back facing towards the two. Peter couldn't help but laugh slightly at that, the Grandmaster crossing his arms.

“Blue. Do you want to get out of here?”

“Yes.” Loki muttered.

“Then get up.”

“...why.”

“Because you need to actually, uh, walk out of the room to 'get out’.”

Peter giggled, covering his mouth. Loki rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly nonetheless as he sat up. He slid off of the stiff cot that rested in the corner of the room and walked over to the other two, the Grandmaster smiling kindly over at him, reaching his hand through the bars and holding onto Loki's once he got close enough, his touch comforting.

“Sorry you had to, uh, go through this.” He said.

“It's all good.” Loki chuckled. “It was my fault anyway. I shouldn't have lost it when the kid got snot on my pants.”

“They got snot on your pants!?” The Grandmaster gasped, covering his mouth with his free hand, not in mock but looking to be in actual pain at the thought. “That, that bastard!”

Loki snickered at that. “It's fine. It'll wash out. We can use some of that stupid glitter detergent you keep trying to push on the rest of the team.”

The Grandmaster stuck his tongue out, but smiled back at the trickster god nonetheless. Loki returned the look, pressing himself up against the bars, still holding onto the Grandmaster's hand. The Grandmaster did the same, giving a chuckle as he closed his eyes.

“So how many times have you been stuck in a cell now?” He asked.

“This'll make about…” Loki paused. “More than I can count on my hands. I've lost track.”

“Dear gods.” The Grandmaster laughed, flicking Loki on the shoulder as if to chastise him for bad behaviour. “You really need to stop, uh, getting caught, Blue.”

“Oh, so that's what you're upset about? Me getting caught??” Loki laughed, pushing the Grandmaster back from the bars.

Before the Grandmaster could retaliate, the group's attention was grabbed by a clearing voice at the end of the hallway, which belonged to the other security guard. The one Loki hadn't stabbed.

“We've got the papers ready.” She spoke gruffly.

“Great!” The Grandmaster turned around, clapping his hands together. “The sooner I can get my, ah, lover out of here and back home, the better!”

Loki rolled his eyes, Peter blushing on the behalf of his friend.

“Maybe getting the Grandmaster to sign the paperwork wasn't the best idea…”

“It's better than nothing.” Loki smiled. “It's the thought that counts.”

“I heard that!” The Grandmaster called back as he walked out of the hall into the conjoining room. “Watch that, that silver tongue of yours Blue. You're already in enough, uh, trouble today~”

“Just get me out of here.” Loki scoffed. The Grandmaster simply smiled back, then slipped through the door and out of sight.


	5. Nightmares in the Late Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. For all of you who are a little uncomfortable with anal or sex of any kind, this chapter is not for you. It's not integral to the actual storyline of this book (then again I guess you could just read any of these little oneshot things and be fine, even if they do have references to the other ones) and was just kinda my attempt at writing a smut scene. First time writing one, which is why it took so damn long. And while it did end up dragging on a bit more than I liked, near the end j didn't really know how to wrap up the chapter so I just kinda kept typing until I felt like it was a sufficient ending (to the chapter, not the book. Although I guess I could just leave it here? I dunno).   
> Anyway.  
> I'm gonna stop rambling. Again, if you're uncomfortable with amateurly written sex scenes or angst, feel free to skip this chapter. If not, feel free to read on.  
> Hopefully the next chapter won't take me so damn long.

**_(Pray for the Wicked - Dec 21st to Mar 7th - 2018/19)_ **

The sound of pacing footsteps sounded outside from the closed door, the muffled voice of Stark and Pepper discussing something Christmas related, as they had been for the entire day. Aside from Tony shouting about things needed to get done, even though it was simply a day before the big event, the eve of Christmas, nothing actually happened all day. Loki had spent the day cooped up inside after the news had spread of his conduct at the mall the day before, simply wrapping up loose ends. He finished the movie marathon with Thor, placed the little gift for the Grandmaster underneath the tree with the rest of them after he had finished wrapping it, then spent some time baking cookies with Peter (although they ended up burning most of the batch). Nonetheless, it has been quite fun, and the two laughed for most of the afternoon over the near explosion they caused in the oven. Now, Loki lay awake in his bed, Thor already sound asleep at the other end of the room, his snores blocking out most of the conversation that was going on outside the closed door. The Grandmaster, too, was already asleep. Due to the small bed Loki slept in, in order for the Grandmaster to not fall out at the slightest movement, he had to basically wrap himself around the trickster god, which of course the Grandmaster wasn't opposed to whatsoever. He was a serial cuddler after all, and even if the bed had been the size of the room itself, he would have been curled around Loki, head nestled into the crook of his neck, soft breaths against his bare skin. But now, the contact wasn't quite comforting to Loki; if anything it was more distracting. He was trying to sleep, but his mind kept wandering. To the wind howling outside, Thor’s strained snoring as he clutched Stormbringer to his chest, the Grandmaster's touch - soft and kind, the smell hanging about him like a bonfire, hot and crackling, if a smell could even be like that. Everything about the Grandmaster was over the top, unusual and eccentric, and it was all perfect to Loki. Everything about him was perfect. Loki shook his head, trying to force his thoughts back to an objective state. Or, at least away from his boyfriend. His mind wandered a lot at night, and it usually wandered to his dear En Dwi. At least, when it didn't wander back to old mistakes and painful memories that made his stomach tie itself into knots. Loki didn't like admitted he truly loved the Grandmaster, at least around other people, even if it was only in his head that he thought about it. He had only said it once out loud, on Sakaar, and shortly after Thor had arrived, all of that shit going down almost in repercussion for his words. They had never really had time to build on it, to spend time together before the shit hit the fan. Every time Loki admitted his feelings, bad things seemed to happen, so he learned to keep his emotions to himself. Even to the Grandmaster, or Peter and his little group of friends. He didn't even talk to Thor a lot of the time about stuff like that. Things had been going so well, or at least as well as they could go, and Loki didn't want to be the one to ruin that. Like usual. Loki sighed, then shifted onto his side, turning his back towards the Grandmaster as he shifted his gaze towards the neon green numbers on the clock face at his bedside. 11:30 PM. Nowhere close to morning. Peter had been so excited to see the look on everyone's faces; while he and Aunt May didn't have enough money to get everyone presents, he had managed to scrounge up enough for one for Tony and Pepper, and another for Loki and Thor. Which made him feel happy enough. Loki breathed a low sigh, his fingers brushing against the bruising that surrounded the base of his neck. The bruising that never seemed to go away. The lightest touch on it made Loki feel… uncomfortable. It wasn't scar tissue, it was more sensitive than that, but having a bruise that lasted for almost a year was painfully unnatural. It made him feel like even more of a freak. At night, Loki couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to that day, that fateful day that brought tears to the corners of his eyes. Even with everyone asleep, he forced the tears back, his hands closing around his neck, a numbness flitting up through his flesh. He scrunched his eyes closed, his hands no longer feeling like his own. His touch was foreign, two hands becoming one, fingers wrapped around his neck as he felt the air slowly being forced from his lungs. His face grew hot, the tips of his fingers tingling as he grabbed at the fist that wasn't there. He wasn't panicked, this was all too familiar; but as the pain slowly filled his mind and the air refused to enter his lungs, he began floundering like a fish out of water. Strained gasps escaping his mouth as he felt the tears slowly starting to trickle down his cheeks.

“Blue?”

Loki opened his eyes with a start, pulled from his thoughts violently - luckily before he was shoved down too deep into his memories. The suffocation subsided slowly, but the silent tears only kept coming. He looked over his shoulder to see the Grandmaster propped up on his arms, a concerned expression across his bare face, no makeup to hide the tiny imperfections that littered his skin. His golden eyes looked Loki over before he reached out, wiping the tears from his boyfriend's face. It hadn't been an attack, luckily, only mere memories forcing themselves into reality once again, but even that was enough to snap Loki's reserve in half. His emotions all poured forward at once as he curled into the Grandmaster's bare chest, silent sobs making his body tremble. Without a second thought, the Grandmaster wrapped his arms around Loki's body, holding him close, just letting him vent wordlessly. Tears blurred Loki's vision, soaking the sheets below the two. The Grandmaster placed his head atop Loki's, running his fingers through his long mess of black hair, being careful around the braid that fell behind his ear - golden strands intertwined with his own raven locks. For a while, they lay there, the sound of the wind knocking against the side of the house, rattling the windows. Pepper and Tony had stopped talking, probably listening to the sound of crying that made its way through the house, but not daring to enter the room and ask what was the matter. Which was probably for the best. Once Loki's sobs had quieted down to mere sniffles, the Grandmaster spoke softly.

“You, uh, are you alright, Loki?” Using the trickster god's real name was a rare occurrence. Clearly, the Grandmaster was worried sick about him.

“Do I look like I'm okay.” Loki muttered into his chest, not looking up.

The Grandmaster rubbed the back of his head comfortingly, holding him close, seeming to be almost fearful of letting him go. He knew it wasn't an attack, Loki had been pulled out of it too easily for that, but he still didn't want to take any chances.

“I'm here if you, uh, need to talk.” The Grandmaster finally said once again, kissing Loki's forehead lightly.

“I'm good.”

“I know you're really not.”

Loki sighed, then finally looked up. His eyes were bloodshot and blurry, his face stained purple with tears. He had been starting to turn blue, most likely why he had waited so long to show his face, but as it began to fade he worked up the courage to meet the Grandmaster's gaze. He was visibly concerned, his tan face creased around his eyes and the corners of his downturned mouth. At the sight, Loki could feel himself welling up again. He bit his lip, and the Grandmaster pulled him closer.

“I love you. You know that, right?” He spoke quietly. “It- It really hurts me to see you like this.”

“Then look away.” Loki muttered. In any other circumstance, it could have been taken as a joke, but based on his tone, it clearly wasn't.

The Grandmaster sighed, then ruffled Loki's hair softly, his fingers intertwined with the oily strands. Silence fell between the two as Loki choked his emotions back, breathing quietly. The Grandmaster rubbed his back and ran his fingers through his hair, muttering words of encouragement and support to his lover. After a while, Loki looked up again, his brow furrowed and expression sour. Not because of what the Grandmaster was doing, but because Loki had broke. He had let his emotions loose, and almost an hour had passed of him simply trying to reel it back in. He knew the Grandmaster didn't mind, he loved being able to help Loki, but still. The thought of him letting loose pained him almost as much as one of those attacks.

“...I-” Loki started, his voice small. He had to admit it, as much as he thought it would make everything come crumbling down. He needed to say it again. At least just one  more time. “I love you.”

The Grandmaster was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, his concern becoming more kind and understanding than anything.

“If you need to talk, Loki, I'm here. You know I'm always, always here for you.”

Loki gave a slight nod, then forced a lopsided smile. His face was still splotchy and streaked with tears, but he was slowly growing more comfortable. The Grandmaster was like an open book, with a few pages missing and tucked away within a drawer somewhere, but Loki carried himself like a locked tomb. An old, leather bound book with yellowed pages that hadn't seen sunlight in ages. But the Grandmaster had a knack for  opening him up, as much as he hated that. One of the only things he hated about the Grandmaster, as much as he tried to act like he had no affections for the ancient being whatsoever. The Grandmaster, once again, pulled him from his thoughts. It was a kinder tug this time rather than I violent pull, a simple kiss that brushed against the trickster god's lips. The clock read 12:50 now, and just as Loki felt his breath steadying into a calm rhythm, his mind clearing itself from the negative thoughts that had plagued it beforehand, he could feel his heart rate quicken. He put his arms around the Grandmaster's neck, leaning into the soft kiss that rested against his lips, a minor bliss replacing the anguish he had felt only a few moments before.

“I feel like crap.” Loki mumbled, pulling away from the kiss before resting his forehead against the Grandmaster's. “I need a shower.”

He chuckled. “It’s almost one in the morning, Blue. I don't think you can have a shower.”

“A bath then. Anything to take my mind off… this. All of this” He gestured to the bruising on his neck vaguely, but that was really only half the story. It was really his emotions he wanted to get away from. It was overwhelming when they welled up like that, blocking out rational thought all together.

“Maybe you shouldn't bottle them up then.” The Grandmaster cocked an eyebrow, a small, concerned smile on his unpainted lips. Loki simply huffed in response. He both hated and adored when the Grandmaster peered into his thoughts.

“I do what I want, fool.”

“Fine, fine. But, ah, you know actually letting yourself feel would do you some good…”

The Grandmaster trailed off as Loki sat up, the blankets falling in a heap around his midsection. The air was cold against his skin, the heating having gone off a while ago, leaving the air bitter as the storm going on outside found ways to work its way into the household. The trickster god shivered, rubbing his arms as he looked over to the bed where his brother lay. Thor's back was now turned to the two, and his snoring had become muffled by the pile of pillows and plushes that he had pressed his face into. Loki’s gaze trailed down to where the Grandmaster lay, head resting in one of his hands, although his gaze was elsewhere, having trailed down Loki's body to his…

“Ahem.” Loki cleared his throat, a light blush creeping across his cheeks as the Grandmaster pulled his eyes away and back up to meet Loki's. He grinned as Loki continued speaking, now averting his gaze from the Grandmaster's golden eyes. “Mind passing me my robe? It's just on the floor down there.”

The Grandmaster rolled over and fished the wrinkled, shimmering blue robe off of the rug, passing it to Loki, who took it with a nod before slipping it on, tying the drawstring around his waist before sliding off of the bed. His bare feet made contact with the floor and the rest of the fabric fell down around his legs. The robe itself was a tad small on Loki, or at least small for his liking, but the Grandmaster had insisted. It had been an early winter’s eve present, hand made for the trickster god himself, and Loki had to admit he quite liked the feeling of the fabric against his skin. The Grandmaster had impeccable taste when it came to fabrics.

“I'm going to have a bath.” Loki said softly, looking back over his shoulder. The Grandmaster was sitting up straight now, climbing out of the bed as Loki spoke, only causing him to blush more. The ancient being hadn't bothered to pick up his own clothes off of the ground.

“Mind if I, uh, join you, blue~?” He asked, mimicking Loki's tone - albeit with a tad more sensuality.

Loki turned his head away as the Grandmaster walked up beside him, not waiting for an answer as he linked his arm with the god of mischief's. He had seen the Grandmaster naked close to thousands of times (whether it be part of his work or simply because the Grandmaster felt like it), but he still felt obligated to look away. As if he felt shame on the Grandmaster's part, which really wasn't the case. The Grandmaster had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. But still. The sight made his face flush up every time.

“At least put something on first.”

“Hey. It's basically one in the morning. No one's going to be awake to see a thing~”

Loki rolled his eyes, then made his way over to the door, pushing it open slowly before peering out into the unlit hallway. He could see the dim glow from the Christmas tree seeping up from the ground floor, and hear Tony still talking - probably to himself - from inside of his room.

“Tony's awake.”

“It's nothing he's not already seen.”

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, a few strands of hair falling in front of his eyes as he breathed an exasperated sigh. The Grandmaster stifled a laugh, covering his mouth. His eyes crinkled happily. Loki simply motioned for the Grandmaster to follow behind him, trying his best to ignore the previous joke made by his boyfriend as he made his way down the hallway and to the bathroom. He needed a bath now more than ever, if just to calm the nerves the Grandmaster had caused to tense up.

“Oh come on sweetpea~ Don't be like that~”

Loki simply pressed his finger to his lips, silencing the Grandmaster as soon as he had spoke up.

“Just let me have my bath, En Dwi. And stop reading my damn mind.”

 

Loki sank into the waters with a sigh, his head lolling back against the edge of the bath as the steam floated up around him. The heat was almost euphoric, surrounding his frigid body and warming him to the core, causing blue to dance along his slim body as his muscles relaxed. He allowed his eyes to slide shut, a small smile making its way along his face. The tips of his fingers brushed against the surface of the water, hot to the touch, his mind finally having something to focus on other than the usual. His robe lay in a heap on the cold tiled floor, the Grandmaster leaning against the edge of the bathtub, watching Loki contently in his utter bliss. He hadn't seen Loki so visibly happy in a long time. It was quite the refreshing sight. After a few minutes of silence, the Grandmaster dipped his toes into the scalding tub, pulling his foot out almost instantly with a yelp. Loki chuckled.

“Not what you expected?” He asked, opening one red eye to look over at the Grandmaster with a smirk.

“I thought frost giants were sensitive to heat.” He responded, kneeling down beside Loki, his arms folded on the edge of the bath.

“Oh, we are. Resistant to cold, sensitive to heat. Doesn't mean I don't absolutely adore it though.” Loki let his eyes fall closed again. “Heat is comforting. Why in Hel did you think I let you sleep with me if it wasn't? You're like a radiator.”

“You could just say I'm good looking and stop giving me such- such cryptic compliments.” The Grandmaster teased, kissing Loki on the forehead.

“That wasn't what I meant and you know it.” Loki snickered softly, then sunk down deeper into the water, so just the top half of his face was above the surface. His hair spread out in the water like the roots of a plant, black strands floating out and along. The Grandmaster stood up, then dipped his toes into the water again, hoping it had cooled off enough for him to actually get in.

“You, uh, did this on purpose, didn't you.” The Grandmaster finally spoke, a disapproving smile plastered across his face.

Loki simply nodded, blowing a few bubbles into the water as he exhaled with a happy little sigh. The Grandmaster rolled his eyes.

“It’s almost as if you're just trying to get on my, uh, my nerves, blue~” The Grandmaster teased as he slowly slid his leg into the water, now basically straddling the edge of the bath. “And you know how I get when I'm, ah, aggravated~”

Loki opened his eyes, looking over at the Grandmaster with an unamused look. If he hadn't been hidden by the streaming water, it would have been clear that a light purple had spread across his face at his boyfriend's words. He had heard those words many times before, and what usually followed was something either extremely enjoyable, or completely uncalled for. He had a hard time deciding which it was, but whichever it ended up being, Loki honestly couldn't complain. He often did anyway, just to give the Grandmaster a hard time, but that was just what they did. It was how their relationship worked, it was like a way of flirting for them, and Loki couldn't be happier about that.

“I think you're using the wrong word.” Loki signed, not wanting to remove his head from the water. The air was chilly on his wet hands, the movements he made flinging water droplets across the room every so often. “Replace 'aggravated’ with 'horny’.”

The Grandmaster swung his other leg into the bath, gripping the edge as he lowered himself into the water. Loki felt his boyfriend's foot brush against his own as he watched every movement the Grandmaster made.

“I'll use, uh, whichever words I want to.” He chuckled, resting his bare back against the tub's ivory colored wall. Compared to Loki (even in his unmasked Jotun form), the Grandmaster looked extremely tan, a heavy contrast in color between the two almost like night and day.

The Grandmaster brushed his leg against Loki's causing him to shudder slightly. The god glared over at his lover, who just smiled innocently, showing his teeth. As he did that, Loki could feel the Grandmaster's toes tracing the raised ridges on the top of his foot as if he had them memorized. He supposed that was one way to play 'footsie’.

“Mind if I come sit, ah, just a little closer to you, blue~?” The Grandmaster asked, as if completely oblivious to the circles and lines he was trailing along Loki's skin.

“I suppose-” 

Loki began to sign, although it didn't quite matter his answer. As soon as he raised his hand from the water the Grandmaster had scooted over beside him, moving his way behind the god of mischief so that he was basically sitting in the elder being's lap. Loki rolled his eyes, then leaned back against his boyfriend's chest, holding his breath as the water rose up to the bridge of his nose. As his eyes fluttering closed, Loki could feel the Grandmaster's touch, light like a feather, along his arms. Tracing the ridges, one hand moving up towards his face while the other worked itself down his chest. A hand cupped his cheek, soft fingers tracing the lines along his body, the two simply melting into one another, enjoying the moment for all it offered. Then Loki felt a hand trace the inside of his thigh. He barely registered the touch until the second time around, the Grandmaster's palm now placed against his skin, having gone from feather light to an actual touch with very clear intent; (not that it hadn't been clear to Loki before, with the way the Grandmaster had been talking). Loki opened his eyes as the Grandmaster guided his head to the side. He placed his fingers under the god’s chin before moving his own head, pressing his lips into Loki's softly. The trickster god had to hand it to him: he knew how to be god damn sensual in all the right ways. They held the kiss for, what felt to Loki like not enough time at all, before the Grandmaster said quietly.

“Want me to, uh, continue~?”

Loki hesitated slightly, then nodded. The Grandmaster moved his hand from where it had been rubbing Loki's inner thigh, cupping his ear with it as he gave a toothy grin.

“I can't hear you blue~”

Loki rolled his eyes. “You're an ass.”

“And you're a hot mess~” The Grandmaster retorted with the same flirtatious tone to his voice as before. “Now do you want to, uh, to take this all the way or not?”

“...I would love nothing more.” Loki finally spoke, biting his lip ever so slightly, his blue skin starting to flush. “You may continue, En Dwi.”

“You're going to have to do better than that~” The Grandmaster chuckled, placing his hands on Loki's hips as he began trailing kisses down the god’s neck. “Actually pretend you want to, ah, to be with me, at least~”

“You can read my thoughts and sense my emotions. You know damn well that I love you with all of my heart.” Loki grumbled, tilting his head to the other side as he felt the Grandmaster's lips pressed against his bruised skin.

“I can, yes. But your words, blue; your words hardly reflect that.” Loki felt his body tense up as the Grandmaster gripped his hips, grazing his teeth along his skin. The god had expected that to be his next move, but still. He couldn't help but react. His lover nipped at the side of his neck, trying to draw some sort of vocal response from the god of mischief - one that was actually satisfactory to him. “So how about you give me something with a, ah, bit more feeling behind it, okay~? Once more with feeling, my dear~”

Loki bit his lip as the Grandmaster whispered those last words, his voice low and sultry, before he nipped on the edge of Loki's ear. His touch was still soft, or at least soft compared to how the Grandmaster sometimes got. Loki knew from firsthand experience that he liked it  _ rough.  _ Loki opened his mouth to speak, smirking ever so slightly as he lolled his head back against the Grandmaster's shoulder, trying to ignore the deepening blush spreading across his features.

“Make me, En Dwi.”

A simple phrase in a low, taunting tone, that made the Grandmaster's blood run hot every time Loki said it. The Grandmaster may have been an ancient being with knowledge about everything intimate to spare, but Loki knew all the right ways to push his buttons; play his little games by the trickster god's rules. And this was a ‘game’ Loki intended on winning.

“Is that, uh, a challenge, my love~?” The Grandmaster finally responded after a few moments of silence, a devious glint to his golden eyes. He tightened his grip, digging his painted nails into Loki's skin. It didn't quite hurt; if anything, it felt almost pleasant. But of course, admitting that would be an automatic loss, basically. At least to Loki.

“It's whatever you want it to be… Daddy~” And there it was. Another switch flipped. Even Loki found himself getting turned on by his own tone. He couldn't even imagine what the Grandmaster was feeling, let alone the thoughts that were racing through his mind - every little thing he could do to Loki, to make him call his name, to make him moan, to make him beg… Loki scrunched his eyes closed as he felt the Grandmaster's teeth against his neck without another word; but now he had gone way past nipping. Much like how Loki knew how to get his lover all riled up, the Grandmaster knew just what buttons to press - or more precisely, what things to do to make Loki putty in his hands. Every spot to kiss, every place he liked to be touched, every little nook and cranny of his body and how to rub it just the right way. So, of course, as soon as Loki let the Grandmaster's favorite pet name slip from his lips, he already knew what course of action to take. Loki felt his muscles tense as the Grandmaster trailed his tongue up the side of his neck before beginning to suck, sinking his teeth in every so often. It wasn't deep enough to draw blood, but it was definitely enough to leave a hefty mark for a few days. He moved his hands up and down Loki’s sides at the same rate, his nails running along the ridges, digging into them. Loki bit his lip, not letting a sound escape him, not wanting to be out of the game that quickly. The Grandmaster was the only one that he found himself being submissive around, and even that in his books was enough for him to lose. It wasn't like him. Loki was strong, proud, not one to be forced into submission like how he always found himself in these situations. It wasn't that he minded, Hel, he positively loved it, but his pride often got in the way. Thus, the two had come up with the 'game’. Tease, taunt, make the other cave first. The Grandmaster often had the upper hand, having had much more practice in the thousands of years he had lived, but Loki still found himself coming out on top every so often. Thoughts, luckily, didn't count anymore. But words - one wrong word and Loki would be out. It was so hard to watch his silver tongue, but he managed more often than not. This time, though, didn't seem to be one of them. Between the slight fatigue and the emotional outbreak beforehand, he could feel the heat flaring up in his throat, the blood racing through his body as the Grandmaster began caressing his thigh once again, his fingers every so often brushing against the base of his partially erect penis. The Grandmaster sucked and bit at the bruised skin on Loki's neck, but was still being sure to be gentle around the more sensitive spots, not wanting to hurt his dear blue - at least not without permission. Loki couldn't help himself from whimpering ever so slightly as he choked back a moan, the Grandmaster pausing at that.

“Already getting choke up, blue~?” He teased, running his hand over the edge of Loki's crotch, following the lines of his pelvic bone in slow, rhythmic movements. “I haven't seen you cave this, uh, quickly in a long time~”

Loki looked away, muttering under his breath. The Grandmaster simply turned the god’s head back towards him, running his thumb over Loki's bottom lip.

“Speak up darling, I, uh, can't hear you~”

“I said, I'm not out yet.” Loki grumbled. “You're going to have to do a lot more than that to make me ‘cave’, En Dwi.”

The Grandmaster chuckled. “Oh blue. Ever the, the strong willed one~”

Before Loki could respond, he felt the Grandmaster get to his feet before stepping out of the tub. Loki watched as he walked across the room, trailing watery footsteps along behind him.

“What the Hel are you doing.” Loki asked, raising an eyebrow with a frown. Without the Grandmaster, the water seemed somehow colder, even though steam was still curling from its surface, making the air cloudy with heat.

“Well, I was just thinking…” the Grandmaster was rummaging through a basket of old towels, kneeling on the tiled floor, water glistening on his bare, unpainted skin in the low light. “You clearly don't want to lose this little game of ours, and I know how difficult it can be to hold yourself back, so I thought I'd give you a bit of a leg up~ Consider it an early Christmas gift~”

The Grandmaster got back up to his feet, a cocky grin on his face as he walked back over to the tub. Loki was even more confused now, almost immediately noticing the fact that the Grandmaster now held, what looked to be a choker, in his hand. Loki opened his mouth to ask what he meant by a 'leg up’ as the Grandmaster climbed back into the bath; but before he could get a word out of his mouth he felt something cold and metal pressed up against his tongue. He leaned back in shock, pressing his head back against the Grandmaster's chest, it finally clicking what the Grandmaster had grabbed.

“Now now blue~” The Grandmaster pulled Loki’s hair out of the way with one hand as he secured the gag in place with the other. “You know how this goes. Just tell me if you're, uh, uncomfortable and I'll be happy to adjust it~ I would never want the love of my life to be uncomfortable~”

The gag was a simple metal ring, secured in place with two studded straps. Of course the Grandmaster had stashed a few of his toys around just for this occasion. Loki couldn't deny, the sensation was one he was quite fond of. He ran his tongue over the back of the ring, the Grandmaster watching intently for his reaction - although of course being able to read Loki's mind, he already knew it.

“How's it feel, blue~?” He asked, running his hand up Loki's side. 

Loki shuddered at his touch, trying to form words, but of course finding that the gag made it nearly impossible for him to speak coherently. After a few moments of trying to speak,a small trail of drool starting to trickle down his chin, Loki finally just signed 'fine’. The Grandmaster rolled his eyes with a smirk, then moved so that he was straddling Loki. He pressed the god up against the side of the tub, his hands gripping the edge on either side of his head as he looked his lover over, a clearly lustful glint to his gaze. Loki face flushed, but he didn't look away this time, staring the Grandmaster straight in the eyes. The Grandmaster ran his fingers over Loki's cheek, wiping the drool from his chin before kissing him roughly. The Grandmaster slid his tongue through the ring and into Loki's mouth, causing the trickster god to grunt slightly in alarm. He couldn't help but put his arms around the Grandmaster's neck, leaning into the kiss hungrily, pressing his tongue against the other’s as it swirled around his mouth, as if to try gain back even a little bit of dominance over the Grandmaster. The ancient being smiled through the kiss, then pulled away, leaving Loki flushed and panting, a string of spit still connecting the two. The Grandmaster wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand, then began trailing kisses down Loki's chest, past the surface of the water, only stopping once he reached his lover’s belly button. Loki couldn't help but watch every move the Grandmaster made, feeling himself growing hot down below his hips as the Grandmaster drew his head up out of the water, hair hanging down in front of his eyes as he started to nip and suck along Loki's collarbone, sometimes moving his head up to bite along his jawline as well, leaving hickies wherever he could manage. His movements and motions seemed to have no set pattern to them, and yet Loki couldn't help but find a sort of rhythm in the way the Grandmaster worked. An insane hedonist need not have a rhyme or reason to what he did, all that mattered is that it felt good; and clearly, the Grandmaster was enjoying himself a little too much. As he worked, Loki felt the Grandmaster beginning to grind against him, moving to kiss up the front of his neck. Loki tilted his head back as he felt the Grandmaster's hips press into his, his member growing hard with every movement and touch it gained from his partner - but Loki couldn't moan. As much as he wanted more, wanted to be held and touched and felt, he still wanted to win. They both did. And so per the rules, there was no begging, no moaning. Only teasing and taunting. And as much as the Grandmaster meant well, this gag seemed to be hindering more than helping. Which, as Loki thought it over, was probably intentional. As much as Loki tried to deny it, the Grandmaster could play him like a fiddle - and he adored that. No one else could make Loki feel this way, and he knew as much as the Grandmaster slept around, Loki was the only one that he had ever wanted to be truly romantic with. They were perfect for one another.

“Retreating into your thoughts isn't going to, uh, help you win, blue~” The Grandmaster chuckled, kissing the underside of his chin. “As flattered as I am that you love me so much, I'd much rather you, ah, say it outloud than merely thinking it~”

He grinded into Loki's hips roughly, causing the trickster god to grunt, choking back a moan that surely would have cost him the game. He couldn't help but let his tongue lull out of his mouth, spit trailing down his cheek in a thick stream. The Grandmaster instinctively wiped it away before cupping Loki's cheek, still grinding up against him in slow, fluid motions.

“Try again, daddy.” Loki signed, as arrogant as ever, although his hands shook ever so slightly. “It’s going to take much more than that to make me lose; and knowing all of your tricks, I'm certain I've got this in the bag.”

“Oh, do you~?” 

The Grandmaster kissed him on the lips with a chuckle, pushing his head back against the tiled rim of the bathtub. He took Loki's wrists in one hand and pinned them above his head, while the other went back to tracing the lines along his chest. This time, though, his fingers started circling around Loki's nipples, gliding over them every so often, sending a shudder up Loki's spine. The Grandmaster pressed a knee against his member, rubbing it against his lover's crotch as he watched Loki try to bite his lip, his tongue pressing against the edge of the gag as he grunted every so often. Even if it hadn't gotten to the point of calling his name - not that he could with the gag in - the Grandmaster absolutely loved watching Loki like this. Unsatisfied but still trying to maintain his superiority. It was such an adorable sight, the Grandmaster could have sat there for hours, just teasing and playing with his boyfriend, even if he never caved in. He had to admit, Loki's strong willed nature definitely got the better of him a lot. If the Grandmaster had been in his place, he most definitely would have already given in. It was endearing, in a way, to see Loki fighting his instincts in pursuit of victory. It was one of the many reasons why the Grandmaster suggested they start playing this game in the first place on their anniversary. Both to spice things up and see how long they could last. It had been a few months since then, and so far they were on their third round. The Grandmaster had been the one to lose both previous times; caving almost as soon as Loki had started, well, using his Asgardian charm so to speak. Seeing Loki being the dominant one was euphoric. They way he talked, the way he acted, commanding the room and wanting nothing less than perfection. It was, to put it blatantly, hot as all hell. To the Grandmaster, Loki was the epitome of perfect, all of his flaws and tendencies included. So of course, as soon as Loki got on top in their previous two sessions, the Grandmaster was done for. Those two combined had lasted about a week. This one was the longest the two of them had ever lasted, perhaps because the hectic winter season didn't leave much time for fooling around, or maybe because Loki hadn't managed to top as of yet this round; but whatever it was, Loki was pent up and the Grandmaster was determined to bring the god to his knees. A recipe for disaster just waiting to be brought to reality. The Grandmaster paused for a moment as he saw Loki trying to sign something, releasing his hands while still rubbing his knee against Loki's hardened bulge.

“Yes, blue~? What is it?”

“My arms were just getting a little sore, nothing  _ too _ important, En Dwi.” 

While Loki couldn't quite smirk with the gag in his mouth, the Grandmaster saw definite defiance gleaming in his green eyes. It was a tad hard to take seriously with the lust clouding his half-lidded gaze, the drool trickling from his open mouth and down his chin; but nonetheless it sent a bit of a shiver through his body. If the Grandmaster knew Loki, which he most definitely did, those looks weren't something to take lightly. But neither was the game itself, and the Grandmaster wanted nothing more than to best Loki at least once.

“Then why don't we, uh, take this a step father, hm~?” As the Grandmaster spoke, he slid his hand down Loki's body, ghosting his hand along the length of the trickster god’s erection, it too covered in the intricate patterns that spanned his Jotun skin. Loki clenched his fingers as he felt the light touch just barely brushing against his member, teasing the sensitive skin. He could feel his breath rising up in his throat, bated breaths catching every time the Grandmaster skimmed the light ridges that ran across his length. The Grandmaster watched as Loki squirmed against his touch, trying his best not to make a sound, amused by his lover's struggle. He continued to trace one hand up Loki's torso as he began putting more pressure into his strokes, swirling his fingers around the tip before sliding them back down the shaft. Loki tilted his head to the side, choking back yet another moan. It was getting harder and harder to maintain his composure - or what little he had left in this situation. He gripped the side of the bathtub as he felt the Grandmaster fingers curl around his member slowly, his palm pressing up against the skin as he began moving his hand up and down. Gliding his hand over the erection in a skilled, and yet agonizingly slow fashion.

“Am I going too quickly for you, baby~? Is it too much? Perhaps we should, uh, slow down a bit~?” The Grandmaster's voice, as sweet as it was, seemed to cut like a knife, making Loki's entire body tense as he stopped the movements of his hand, simply leaving it clasped around his dick. The saccharine sweetness laced within his oh so poisonous words made Loki want to cry out, to object, but he pushed those thoughts away. Not that he could truly object anyway with that pesky gag in his mouth. And gods know the Grandmaster would ignore his signs, just to spite him. He absolutely hated this game; he absolutely hated the Grandmaster, and all he did. The way he was able to bend Loki to his every whim made the god furious - as well as head over heels, madly in love with this psychotic hedonist that seemed to relish in his struggles. And yet cared for him, oh so deeply. It was oftentimes dizzying how quickly the Grandmaster could switch between driving Loki nearly insane - but as soon as he realized that Loki was truly unhappy, not just putting on a show, he flipped like a dime and was right there to comfort him. If anything hurt, if anything didn't feel right, if he wasn't enjoying himself as much as the Grandmaster was, then En Dwi would make it his priority to have Loki feel just as happy (and oftentimes as sexually satisfied) as he did. It was all so… confusing. Noticing his looks, the Grandmaster's expression faltered. In a moment of silence, Loki could hear his boyfriend's voice within his mind, a silent question:  _ “Are you okay? Do you want to stop?” _ Loki audibly sighed before shaking his head. He was infuriated, yes, but that was part of the game. He appreciated that the Grandmaster was kind enough to make sure he was truly alright though. Loki couldn't have asked for a better lover. The Grandmaster chuckled, then pulled Loki into a kiss, working through the gag once again as he slid his tongue into his partner's awaiting mouth, Loki stifling whimpers and moans as the Grandmaster began stroking his cock once again. Loki soon found himself pressed up against the Grandmaster, moving his hips along with his lover's, practically thrusting into the handjob he was being given, the water sloshing up and over the sides of the tub as the two moved together. And much to his surprise, the Grandmaster didn't stop him. He didn't force his hips back down against the floor of the bath, or cease his movements whatsoever. Instead he slid a hand underneath Loki's tailbone, moving him closer into his lap as he slid his hand down to the trickster god’s ass, his own hardened member pressed against where Loki now sat. The Grandmaster changed his movements from agonizingly slow to a steady pace, sliding his hand along the sides, around the head, practically massaging Loki’s length. It was euphoric. Loki felt the friction between his legs, the Grandmaster's dick pressing up against him with every thrust and movement they gave, his movements growing quicker and quicker as he worked his magic with Loki; knowing just when you apply pressure, when to slow down, when to speed up. When to grab his ass and when to loosen his grip. It was heaven. And Loki hadn't even caved. As they went, Loki could feel something in his gut starting to tighten. Perhaps this would simply be a session with no winner, and the round would continue from there. The Grandmaster gripped the base of his dick, Loki’s breath hitching as tears formed in the corners of his crimson eyes, his head tilted back. Perhaps the Grandmaster had forgotten, or just didn't care at that moment. Just a little more. He just needed a little more. Perhaps- Loki froze. He was just there. He could feel the knot in the pit of his stomach, the pressure building in his erection, and yet, the Grandmaster had stopped. His finger was placed right on the tip of Loki's penis, index finger pressing lightly against the slit, smiling up at his lover innocently - as if he could do no wrong. He knew, Loki knew he knew he was right there. Right on the edge. Right about to finish. Loki tried to bite his tongue as the Grandmaster used his free hand to wipe the spit from Loki's chin before forcing his head down.

“Look at me, blue~” The Grandmaster said softly. “Just say what I want to, uh, hear, and you can finish. Hell, I'll gladly make you come as much as your heart desires! Just tell me what I, I need to hear~”

As he finished speaking, the Grandmaster moved his hand behind Loki's head and undid the gag, sliding it out from the mess of Loki's hair and holding it in his palm, trailing the back of his hand over the god’s cheek.

“Y-You're a prick.” Loki choked out, his brow furrowing. He tried to squirm, but the Grandmaster just held him in place. Whether it was some mind control shit, subliminal messaging, or the Grandmaster had a hold on him other than just his damn erection, Loki didn't know. But whatever it was, he found he couldn't move. He couldn't try to alleviate himself. He was stuck, right there on the brink, and the knot only seemed to be getting worse.

“And you're a twink with daddy issues~” the Grandmaster continued with a chuckle. “Come on, it's not that hard~ At least, giving in isn't. But you, uh, you sure are~”

“Fuck off.”

“I'd much rather fuck you instead, blue~ But until you say what, ah, I want to hear, I'm afraid I just can't do that~ Besides. We both know I could sit here all day just staring at that beautiful face of your's, all twisted up in rage and, ah, pent up. Absolutely ravishing, if I may say. I might just have to finish myself off if we're stuck here for any longer~”

Loki whimpered, biting his bottom lip as the Grandmaster reached down, brushing the back of his hand against Loki’s cock for a split second before pulling it away again. He had set the gag down on the edge of the bath, not wanting it to get in the way if it wasn't in use. He pushed Loki back ever so slightly, leaving his hand lingering on his chest as the other trailed down to his own member. Loki glanced down to the surface of the water, watching it ripple as the Grandmaster ran his fingers up and down along his own length. Loki quickly glanced away as he heard the Grandmaster begin to moan softly. He covered his mouth, the Grandmaster giving a chuckle, panting lightly in between words. 

“What's the matter… Blue~? U-uh, Jealous?”

“No.” Loki didn't look over, but he could feel the water lapping at his midsection, the Grandmaster's touch trailing down his torso. “What's there to be jealous of? You're simply enjoying yourself.”

“I can s-see you're, ah, clearly pent up toooo~” The Grandmaster said the last word in an almost sing songy tone, leaning closer to Loki, his off hand still gripped around the base of his dick. “Come on baby. It's Christmas. Let's, uh, call a truce, okay?”

Loki paused, then looked back over, a skeptical look in his red eyes. “...really?”

The Grandmaster nodded. “Of course my dear. We'll put our little game behind us for now and- and simply enjoy ourselves properly.”

Loki considered this for a moment, then threw his arms around the Grandmaster's neck, pulling him into a kiss. He fell back against the back of the tub, the water sloshing up the sides and out onto the floor. Loki pressed himself up against his lover, the two grinding together, movements in perfect sync. He wrapped his legs around The Grandmaster's waist, bliss overtaking his thoughts, not having to deal with losing that pesky game. Every moment he spent with the Grandmaster was like heaven, and he never wanted it to stop.

“How about you actually, ah, say that Blue~” the Grandmaster teased. “Nothing stopping you now~”

“You'd like that, wouldn't you.” Loki panted, eyes half lidded as a smirk spread across his lips. “Just because it's a truce doesn't mean I'll go eas- ah~!”

Loki tilted his head back as the Grandmaster grasped the base of his penis, sliding his hand up and down his length. He smiled as he began trailing kisses along Loki's jawline, his words low and soft against his skin when he spoke. 

“How about let's kill two birds with one stone, hmm~?” He asked. “Mind if I, uh, satisfy both of us~?”

“You'll… have to be more specific, En Dwi.” Loki spoke breathlessly, his head lolled to the side.

The Grandmaster rolled his eyes, then moved his other hand down to Loki's tailbone, rubbing a finger around his opening.

“I want to be, uh, inside of you~” He whispered, Loki gasping ever so slightly at the sensation. “Are you up to that tonight dear?”

It was a moment before Loki nodded, stifling a noise as he felt the Grandmaster slowly slide himself inside, still stroking Loki's member as he began working back and forth, little bits at first as Loki adjusted to the feeling. Loki leaned his head back against the edge of the tub, gripping the rim as the Grandmaster moved at a slow pace, sliding his hips back and forth; getting gradually deeper with each movement as he held on to Loki's side with his free hand, using his lover to steady himself, the water lapping against the sides of the tub. Loki’s thought were clouded, red eyes glazed as he bit his lip, simply focussing on the sensations around him. The stretching of his opening around the Grandmaster's cock, the hot water in contrast to the cold touch of the bathtub's porcelain surface. The skilled hand working his member in time with every thrust of his lover's hips. Intertwined bodies, tan against pale blue skin, intertwined thoughts seeming to make every movement - every sensation heightened. Grunts and whimpers, slurred words between kisses and heavy breaths filled the humid air. Loki curled his toes as he felt the pressure building in his gut once again, seeming to almost double from the last time the Grandmaster had brought him this close. He brought his legs up around the Grandmaster's waist, hands moving to grip his shoulders. The Grandmaster moved his hand from Loki's hip to the small of his back as he worked his way ever so slightly deeper, finally hitting that one spot that drove Loki mad; the other hand still working with the trickster god's length. Loki felt his back arching, his eyes squeezing shut as he begged for more, silent praise from his lover playing in the forefront of his mind as he finally came. He curled into the Grandmaster, head pressed into the crook of his neck as he continued to thrust into the trickster god, releasing after a few more moments. The cloudy water around them began to calm as the Grandmaster held Loki close, slowly pulling himself out with a sigh, a blissful smile on his unpainted face.

“You were absolutely amazing.” The Grandmaster spoke breathlessly. “Positively fabulous. Just- just… you were  _ great _ , Loki-”

“I get it. You thought I did well.” Loki chuckled weakly, his face still pressed against the Grandmaster's shoulder, eyes closed and heavy breaths cold against his skin, causing it to prickle ever so slightly. “I could say the same to you, En Dwi.”

The Grandmaster laughed, slowly moving Loki's legs from around his waist, being sure to set him down gently on the floor of the tub. He wrapped his arms around Loki's midsection, running his hand along Loki's spine comfortingly slowly and carefully, coaxing a quiet sigh from the trickster god.

“I love you so, so much Blue.” The Grandmaster kissed Loki on the nose lightly.

“And I feel like this bath was counter intuitive.” Loki smiled back.

The Grandmaster rolled his eyes, returning the smile as he sat back, letting Loki straighten himself up. 

“Well, aren't you, uh, less stressed now? Got an emotional release? Feeling all loose and relaxed from all that, uh-” the Grandmaster thrusted his hips to simulate their previous actions, an awkward grin on his face.

Loki blushed, covering his face. “The point of a bath isn't to have intercourse, En Dwi. The point of a bath is to wash off. To get clean. Not get someone else's dick shoved up your ass.”

The Grandmaster laughed. “But you liked it, right?”

“I neither admit nor deny that.” Loki sat up, gripping the side of the bath as he rose to his feet. “Now. I need a shower.”

“Shall I, ah, join you?” The Grandmaster climbed out of the bath, grabbing a towel from the towel rack on the wall.

“What do you think,” Loki smirked, “just wait for me in bed, because once this adrenaline wears off, I will most definitely be in a bit of pain. And as you've said, aftercare is just as important as the act itself.”

The Grandmaster wrapped the towel around his waist after drying his hair off, laughing. He walked over, helping Loki out of the tub before placing a kiss on his forehead lovingly.

“See you there then, Blue~ Don't take, uh, too long. I don't want to drift off before we can cuddle.”

Loki gave him a quick kiss back, smiling kindly. “I'll be quick, don't worry.”

On that note, the Grandmaster gave him  _ one last  _ kiss, this time on the lips, before turning and walking out of the bathroom, towel tied around his waist. The Grandmaster closed the door behind him, leaving Loki alone in the steamy bathroom, water dripping off of his blue skin and onto the cold tiled flooring. He could still feel the Grandmaster's heated touch on his skin, almost burning in comparison to his own. Soft lips, kind fingers, and a stiffness starting to spread in his lower abdomen as his endorphins started to settle down. Looking sighed, chuckling to himself softly as he made his way over to the shower. He couldn't wait to get back to the Grandmaster, to feel his arms wrapped around him once again, and to actually get some freaking clothes on. As his skin started to fade back to his preferred appearance, Loki felt a little lump form in his stomach, anticipation for the day to come. Despite his reservations at first, Loki had to admit he was a tad excited for Midgardian winter's eve. He couldn't wait for everyone else to unwrap their presents, to see the looks on their faces. But for now, Loki just needed to wash off and get back to bed, fatigue and the aching in his ass starting to set in like a ton of bricks. The Grandmaster had definitely done a number on him, that was for certain. Loki chuckled as he stepped into the shower, letting the cool water fall onto his face as he rinsed the tub water from his now pale body, running his fingers through his soaking black hair. He couldn't wait to get back at the ancient being on their next round. Not tonight, of course, tonight he was much too worn out; but once Christmas passed and their game resumed, Loki would make the Grandmaster scream his name. For now, thought, Loki just needed to wash off and go to sleep in his lover's arms. From inside the shower, Loki looked to the analog clock that was mounted on the wall. 2:30 in the morning. He sighed. It was finally Midgardian winter's eve morning - or something like that. Turning off the tap, Loki opened the shower door and grabbed a towel from the shelf, drying himself off before picking his robe up off of the ground and wrapping it around himself, stepping out into the brisk open air of the hallway afterwards.

“Took you, ah, long enough Blue. I was starting to think you had, uh, fallen asleep in the shower” The Grandmaster was sitting outside the door, now changed into a simple pair of blue striped pajamas.

Loki rolled his eyes. “Just come to bed En Dwi.”

The Grandmaster chuckled as he hopped to his feet, snaking an arm around Loki's waist as the two began walking back to the room.

“Oh, uh, Blue?”

“Yes?”

“Merry Christmas.”

Loki paused, then smiled faintly. “Merry Christmas to you too, En Dwi.”


End file.
